State’s backlog of sexual assault kits effectively eliminated, audit finds

The Washington State Patrol has effectively eliminated the state’s backlog of untested sexual assault kits, and now is testing nearly all kits within 45 days, according to a follow-up performance audit by the Office of the Washington State Auditor. 

Testing kits in a timely manner can help resolve crimes, including convicting serial offenders, but survivors of sexual assault often waited years for their evidence to be analyzed. In 2018, Washington law enforcement agencies had a backlog of more than 9,000 untested sexual assault kits that they had not submitted to the Patrol for testing. 

An earlier performance audit found the pandemic that began in 2020 had significantly delayed efforts to eliminate this backlog. As of January 2022, the Patrol had tested 74% of all kits received since 2015. You can read that report on our website here: Sexual Assault Kits: Assessing Washington State Patrol’s testing backlog and tracking system

In this follow-up report, auditors found the Patrol tested all but about 300, or 1%, of sexual assault kits it received since 2015, with most of the untested kits being from inactive investigations. Additionally, the Legislature established a 45-day timeframe for testing submitted kits, and the Patrol tested 95% of the kits it considers subject to this law on time.  

“The State Patrol has done commendable work,” said State Auditor Pat McCarthy. “Everyone who submits a sexual assault kit deserves to know it will be treated with seriousness and due diligence, and through this independent review, we can confirm that is now the case in Washington.”  

The state has invested more than $30 million since 2015 to improve the Patrol’s testing capacity, including expanding testing laboratory space and adopting more efficient processes. However, prompt testing is still contingent on local law enforcement identifying and submitting kits, and the complexity of some tests can still cause delays. 

Because the Patrol has met its legal targets, auditors made no recommendations. The full report can be found on the State Auditor’s Office website here: Washington State Patrol Sexual Assault Kits Follow-up

Media questions: Assistant Director of Communications Adam Wilson, Adam.Wilson@sao.wa.gov, 564-999-0799